1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to releasing objects from aircraft during high speed flight and, in particular, to an improved system, method and apparatus for reducing windblast injuries to pilots when they eject from the cockpit of a high speed aircraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
When aircraft pilots are forced to eject from cockpits at very high air speeds, they are subjected to instantaneous and near-lethal aerodynamic forces from the air flowfield coming over the canopy. Snap back neck injuries and facial and/or eye tissue damage are particularly common due to the body trajectory during ejection insertion into the flowfield and the fact that the head, helmet and visor enter the flowfield before the rest of the body. These factors create highly asymmetric and dangerous aerodynamic loading on the pilots body.
At near-transonic speeds, the probability of ejection survival without serious injury or death approaches zero. For some aircraft applications, the ejection requirement is 600 knots indicated airspeed (i.e., nearly Mach 1.0 at an altitude of 20,000 feet). However, the local flowfield over the top of the canopy that impacts the ejecting pilot can approach 650 knots or more (i.e., about Mach 1.06 at 20,000 feet), creating an almost unsurvivable ejection environment for pilots.
Similarly, the same intensity of air flowfield forces act on military aircraft ordnance, such as bombs and missiles, as they are released from aircraft during high speed flight. When the ordnance is released, the flowfields can tend to force the ordnance back toward the aircraft, which can create hazardous conditions for the aircraft and pilot as well as damage the ordnance or affect its mission. Thus, a solution for addressing these issues would be desirable.